The 2012 essay contest winners are shown here with contest dignitaries (from left): Dan Conn, history teacher at Holyoke High School; Nell Propst, noted area author and namesake for the contest; Jeremy Loutensock, first place winner from Holyoke; contest coordinator Ken Horner; Katelyn Kaus, second place winner from Haxtun; and Amy Schadegg, counselor at Haxtun High School. Deadline for this year's contest is March 1.
(Courtesy photo)

STERLING -- Now is the time for area high schools students, grades 9-12, to get their essay entries written for the annual Nell Propst Northeastern Colorado Historical Essay Contest. The deadline for the competition is March 1. Students have an opportunity to win up to $2,000 in scholarship money to the college of their choice. This contest has been expanded this year and now includes high schools in Morgan County. And, a cover design competition has been added to allow art students to also compete for scholarship dollars. In past years, the number of contestants entering has ranged from 12 to 15 so the odds of winning are quite good.

The contest is open to all high school students, regardless whether they are public or home schooled, provided they live in the contest's designated geographical area, which includes Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington and Yuma counties plus the Briggsdale, New Raymer, Pawnee and Grover school districts in northeastern Weld County.

The entry deadline for home-schooled student entries is Feb. 15 as these entries are judged separately with the top two being placed in the overall competition.

Each year the contest awards a $2,000 scholarship to the top essay winner and $1,000 scholarship to the first runner-up. Added this year will be a prize to an art student from one of these designated high schools (or home school) who submits the winning cover design for the 2013 book. This winner will receive a $1,000 award.

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Students entering the essay portion of the contest are asked to write a thesis of approximately 2,000 to 2,500 words on the local history about an individual, groups of individuals or events affecting or occurring within the geographical area serviced by the above listed school districts within northeastern Colorado. Each school may accept unlimited entries but will only be allowed to submit the top two entries as determined by the school for the final judging. Cover design entries must follow some specific guidelines which are posted on the website, nphec.com.

Each student who has an essay or cover design entered must have a sponsoring faculty, counselor of administrative member from their school. This sponsor, should his or her student win either of the contests, will also receive a $500 grant, respectively. These grants may be used to fund class field trips or purchase classroom equipment and or supplies.

In the case of home schooled students who might win the essay contest, the faculty award will be given to a library or museum, within the defined geographical area, selected by the scholarship winner.

All final entrants and their faculty sponsors will be invited to spend a day in Sterling in early May at which time they will have an opportunity to tour NJC, visit the Overland Trail Museum and attend an awards luncheon where all entries are recognized and top winners announced.

The winning writer's school as determined by the judges will be awarded a 12 x 12 black granite trophy which will permanently reside in the school's trophy case.

Perhaps the least mentioned benefit derived from participation in the Nell Propst Historical Essay Contest is the publication of contest entries in a bound book titled "A Short History Of Northeastern Colorado" (As seen through the eyes of our high school scholars). The book is published annually and given to all of the submitted entrants, to each of their sponsoring faculty members, all the area museums for their reference libraries and each of the registered high schools to place in their libraries.

For more information about the contest's rules and where your entries should be submitted, visit nphec.com and click on the links. You may also call contest coordinator Ken Horner at (970) 522-2440 or email him at khorner@nphec.com

The funds used in this contest are managed and dispersed by the Northeastern Junior College Foundation; however, students winning scholarships may use their award at any college of their choosing.

Last year's top essay entry was submitted by Jeremy Loutensock of Holyoke High School for his essay entitled "Unseen Glory." Dan Conn, a history teacher, was his sponsor. Second place entry was submitted by Katelyn Kaus of Haxtun High School, who was sponsored by Amy Schadegg and Vickie Fuesz.

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